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Long Beach, California

Long Beach, California
  Image:Long Beach Sity Seal.gif
Seal of Long Beach
County Los Angeles County, California
Area
 - Total
 - Water

170.6 km² (65.9 mi²)
40.0 km² (15.4 mi²) 23.42%
Population


 - Total (2000)
 - Density


461,522
3,532.8/km²

Time zone Pacific: UTC-8

Latitude
Longitude

33°48'15" N
118°9'29" W

City of Long Beach


Long Beach is a city located in southern Los Angeles County, California, on the Pacific coast. Its location is 33°47' North, 118°10' West, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 461,522. It is the fifth largest city in California and the second largest in Los Angeles County.

Long Beach was founded in 1880 as Willmore City and was incorporated in 1888. The town grew as a seaside resort (The Pike was one of the most famous beachside amusement parks on the West coast from 1910 until the 1960's) and then as an oil, Navy, and port town. The town was once referred to as "Iowa by the sea".

In 1933, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake caused significant damage to the city and surrounding areas. Most of the damage occurred in unreinforced masonry buildings, especially schools. 120 people died in this earthquake.

The Port of Long Beach is the second busiest seaport in the United States and the tenth busiest in the world, shipping some 66 million metric tons of cargo worth $95 billion in 2001. The port serves shipping between the United States and the Pacific Rim. The combined operations of the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are the busiest in the US.

The Long Beach Municipal Airport serves the Long Beach, Los Angeles, California and Orange County areas. Long Beach is also the southern terminus for the LA Metro Blue line.

The R. M. S. Queen Mary has been located in Long Beach since her retirement. The Aquarium of the Pacific , a world-class research facility, is a popular tourist destination. The Grand Prix of Long Beach , an annual IndyCar race, takes place on city streets near the Convention Center and is one of the largest grand prix events in the world. Long Beach is the site of a large community college, a California State University campus, and a Veterans hospital.

Signal Hill is an incorporated city surrounded entirely by Long Beach.

Rapper Snoop Dogg was born in Long Beach.


Contents

Geography

Long Beach is located at 33°48'15" North, 118°9'29" West (33.804133, -118.158028)1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 170.6 km² (65.9 mi²). 130.6 km² (50.4 mi²) of it is land and 40.0 km² (15.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 23.42% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 461,522 people, 163,088 households, and 99,646 families residing in the city. The population density is 3,532.8/km² (9,149.8/mi²). There are 171,632 housing units at an average density of 1,313.8/km² (3,402.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 45.16% White, 14.87% African American, 0.84% Native American, 12.05% Asian, 1.21% Pacific Islander, 20.61% from other races, and 5.27% from two or more races. 35.77% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 163,088 households out of which 35.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% are married couples living together, 16.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% are non-families. 29.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.77 and the average family size is 3.55.

In the city the population is spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $37,270, and the median income for a family is $40,002. Males have a median income of $36,807 versus $31,975 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,040. 22.8% of the population and 19.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 32.7% are under the age of 18 and 11.0% are 65 or older.

Long Beach at night
Enlarge
Long Beach at night

Culture

Art

The Long Beach Museum of Art is owned by the City of Long Beach, and operated by the Long Beach Museum of Art Foundation , a non-profit organization. Long Beach also features the Museum of Latin American Art , founded in 1996 by Dr. Robert Gumbiner , and the only museum in the western United States that exclusively features Latin American art.

Music

The Long Beach Symphony Orchestra plays numerous classical and pop music concerts throughout the year. The symphony plays at the Terrace Theater in the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center .

KJAZZ 88.1 FM (KKJZ) broadcasts from California State University, Long Beach. The station exclusively features jazz and blues music, and can be listened to over the Internet.

The Long Beach Blues Festival has been held annually since 1980, and regularly features such artists as Bo Diddley, Macy Gray, and Clarence Carter.

Parks and Recreation

The Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine received a Gold Medal award from the National Parks and Recreation Society in 2002, 2003, and 2004, recognizing the Department's "outstanding management practices and programs." The Department manages 92 parks covering over 3,100 acres throughout the city, including the 815-acre El Dorado Regional Park, which features fishing lakes, an archery range, youth campground, bike trails, and picnic areas. The Department also operates four public swimming pools, and four launch ramps for boaters to access the Pacific Ocean.

Sports

Long Beach is home to the Long Beach Ice Dogs minor-league (ECHL) hockey team. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Anaheim Angels baseball teams, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers basketball teams, and Los Angeles Kings and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim hockey teams all play in neighboring cities.

Education

The primary school district that serves Long Beach is Long Beach Unified School District .

Colleges and Universities

Transportation

Several freeways run through Long Beach, connecting it with the greater Los Angeles and Orange areas. The San Diego (405) freeway roughly bisects the city and takes commuters north or south to the Golden State (5) freeway. The Long Beach (710) freeway also runs north-south, starting at the southern end near the Port of Long Beach and terminating at the Santa Monica (10) freeway in Los Angeles. The eastern border of the city is traversed by the San Gabriel River (605) freeway, which joins the 405 at the Long Beach/Los Alamitos border.

California State Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) runs through Long Beach.

Long Beach is connected to the MTA Blue Line light rail network. Blue Line trains run from Long Beach City Hall to the Los Angeles Convention Center .

External links


Counties and Largest Cities in California
Cities: Anaheim | Bakersfield | Fremont | Fresno | Glendale | Huntington Beach | Long Beach | Los Angeles | Modesto | Oakland | Oxnard | Riverside | Sacramento | San Bernardino | San Diego | San Francisco | San Jose | Santa Ana | Stockton
Counties: Alameda | Alpine | Amador | Butte | Calaveras | Colusa | Contra Costa | Del Norte | El Dorado | Fresno | Glenn | Humboldt | Imperial | Inyo | Kern | Kings | Lake | Lassen | Los Angeles | Madera | Marin | Mariposa | Mendocino | Merced | Modoc | Mono | Monterey | Napa | Nevada | Orange | Placer | Plumas | Riverside | Sacramento | San Benito | San Bernardino | San Diego | San Francisco | San Joaquin | San Luis Obispo | San Mateo | Santa Barbara | Santa Clara | Santa Cruz | Shasta | Sierra | Siskiyou | Solano | Sonoma | Stanislaus | Sutter | Tehama | Trinity | Tulare | Tuolumne | Ventura | Yolo | Yuba |


Last updated: 11-08-2004 11:24:28